Sennheiser IE80

Link to my review and measurement index thread where one can also find a full review overview, more information about myself as well as my general-ish audio and review manifesto: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/956208/

---

I only give full stars. My ranking/scoring system does not necessarily follow the norm and is about as follows:

5 stars: The product is very good and received the "highly recommended" award from me.

4 stars: The product is very good and received the "recommended" award from me.

3 stars: The product is good/very good, but not outstanding/special enough to get any of my two awards. ["Thumbs Up"]

2 stars: The product is only about average or even somewhat below that and somewhat flawed/flawed in some areas. [neither "Thumbs Up" nor "Thumbs Down"]

1 star: The product is bad/severely flawed to outright bad. ["Thumbs Down"]

---

Sennheiser IE 80


Source:

Personal unit.


Miscellaneous:

Back in the day, they were Sennheiser’s most expensive (in-ear) model (years ago before the IE 800 that I bought as well and that are on a clearly higher level when it comes to technical performance), and generally considered as expensive for dynamic driver in-ears.

The small graph on the back of the packaging that illustrates how the small screw on the faceplate changes the bass quantity is straight misleading and impertinent as it shows the frequency response to vary from fairly flat to bassy and warm even though the latter is already the case in the screw’s minimum position.

Nice selection of ear tips.
I really like that there is a Sennheiser logo on the included shirt clip.

Really nice and unique carrying case that contains a “drawer” that is securely held in place by a magnet and has even got integrated holders for spare ear tips as well as a build-in holder for the bass adjustment/cleaning tool and last but not least a small compartment for small silica gel pads.
However, as nice and unique as it is, it is ultimately not very practical at all as it takes some time to store the in-ears inside, and likely not the best solution for the cable’s durability either.

The cable doesn’t feel premium at all but is at least not of the cheapest possible kind. It’s removable, though (2-pin connectors).
A chin-slider is not lacking and it reads “IE 80” on the y-splitter, which is a nice touch that I personally like.

While I like the unique shell design and while the build quality seems to be good, the light plastic shells don’t necessarily feel premium.
One does not get much tactile feedback from turning the bass adjustment screws as they don’t feel very precise and don’t give much feedback either as there are no tactile notches.

Very comfortable fit.

The engineering behind how the bass adjustment screw works is pretty unique and shows that definitely some thoughts went into its design. It’s a completely acoustic design and basically just a variable valve that control’s the dynamic driver’s front cavity vent opening that was re-located from the inner half of the shell where one would normally expect it towards the faceplate for easier access and so that it isn’t unintentionally covered/blocked by the user’s ear; for this, Sennheiser used a fairly clever internal routing that one can see on disassembly photos of the IE 80 on the internet.

One dynamic driver per side.




Sound:

Largest included single-flange silicone ear tips.

Tonality:

Bassy, very warm v-shape already when the valves are fully open (i.e. minimum position) to bass-heavy, even warmer v-shape with the valves fully shut (i.e. maximum position.

No matter at what setting the bass adjustment screws are, the lows clearly radiate into the central mids as they already start to climb around 900 Hz.
With the screws in the minimum position, the climax is around 150 Hz with a quantity of around 10 dB compared to in-ears with a flat bass tuning such as the Etymotic ER4SR/my ER-4Sm and a roll-off below 100 Hz towards 20 Hz that are about in-line with the central midrange wherefore the sound is very full, warm and with a strong upper bass punch, but not much rumble from the sub-bass.
When the screws are turned into the maximum position, the bass peaks around 40 Hz with a quantity of around 15 dB, with no roll-off below that, and about an extra 4 dB boost at 100 Hz, wherefore the sound gains a lot of sub-bass and midbass energy.
Needless to say, the midrange, as a result, is always very warm, full and coloured, also somewhat mushy, and even warmer and mushier, more veiled with the screw set to maximum (which is beneficial for the mid-and sub-bass perception but definitely not for the midrange and fundamental range).

The central midrange and upper midrange are mostly accurate to somewhat more on the relaxed side, and thankfully not much recessed.

Going up, one can spot a peak around 5.5 kHz as well as another one around 7 kHz and finally a last one around 10 kHz wherefore the full, bassy and warm sound is ultimately more of a v-shaped signature.
Ultimately, those peaks lead to the highs being on the more metallic side, however as they aren’t sharp and as the warmth and bass are the dominating elements, they are not annoying or obtrusive, which is something where the IE 80 fortunately differ from Sennheiser’s older, less expensive dynamic driver in-ears.
Interestingly, those peaks appear much worse and unfitting when performing sine sweeps or looking at frequency response measurements, while in real world listening scenarios, they are not bothering at all, which, as mentioned, is most likely due to them acting as some sort of compensation for the lows’ bloom and warmth.

Quickly compared to my Shure SE215m+SPE, the Sennheiser are always warmer, fuller, thicker and more coloured sounding in the lower midrange.
IE 80's screw set to minimum: Both have got comparable bass quantity at 100 Hz but the Sennheiser roll off below that whereas the Shure peak in the lower midbass and keep constant sub-bass level below that.
IE 80s’ screw set to maximum: The Sennheiser are clearly warmer and bassier at any frequency below 1 kHz.
Both have got almost similar treble quantity around 5 kHz. Above that, however, the Shure are definitely on the dark, relaxed side, whereas the Sennheisers’ treble is on the brighter side, however less even.

The question whether it is best to have the screw in the minimum or maximum position is a tough one, as the former rolls off audibly towards the sub-bass and only really highlights the higher upper bass and root, whereas the latter does introduce a nice sub-bass boost, however adds even more warmth and thickness to the already really warm sound (it makes the lows even slower and softer, too). Despite the rolled-off sub- and midbass (compared to the root and higher upper bass), I prefer the screw in the minimum position due to aforementioned introduced disadvantages that come with the screw set to the maximum position.
Generally, I only really like my IE 80 for slow, acoustic singer-songwriter stuff.

Frequency Response:


ER-4S-Compensation (Screw set to minimum Position)


ER-4S-Compensation (Screw set to maximum Position)

Generally, the treble peaks on the graph don’t match with the frequencies that I perceive when performing sine sweeps, and I also perceive them as much quieter in amplitude. With the bass screw set to the maximum position, however, I hear the lows as being slightly stronger than on the graph.


ProPhile 8-Compensation (Screw set to minimum Position)


ProPhile 8-Compensation (Screw set to maximum Position)


Effect of the Bass Screw

Resolution:

While the midrange resolution and speech intelligibility seems to be subjectively above that of my Shure SE215m+SPE to some degree, the Sennheisers’ bass is just mushy, slow and lacks control even in the screw’s minimum position, and becomes even worse by increasing it, which also affects the rest of the resolution that is reduced audibly, wherefore the IE 80 are only halfway decently resolving (which is a bit of a stretch for the price anyway) with the bass screw in the minimum position.

Generally, the resolution isn’t great for the price at all, especially in terms of bass quality; the in-ears sound slow, soft and just lack details. The general transient response is audibly pretty bad.

Good treble separation? Definitely not. The presentation is quite smeary and not differentiated at all.

Only when the music material is slow, doesn’t contain many instruments/tonal elements and generally doesn’t have high demands on the in-ears, the IE 80 sound decently controlled and resolving with a nice midrange; however even already with “averagely paced” music and tracks that don’t have a very demanding bass line, the drivers clearly show their lack of control and just sound plain slow, which should not be present at this price point at all.
In contrast, my Shure SE215m+SPE, Moondrop Starfield or the Etymotic ER2XR don’t give in nearly as early nor nearly as much with fast and more demanding music material, which just shows that the Sennheisers’ limits are reached really early whereas the other dynamic driver in-ears still have got (partially plenty) of reserves in comparison and generally sound tighter, faster and better controlled, while the IE 80, when compared to my Shure, are slightly ahead when it comes to pure midrange resolution (but are outperformed by my Moondrop and the Etymotic).
In pre-conclusion, slow and not really demanding, mild acoustic singer-songwriter music is really about the only niche where the IE 80 perform and sound decent.

Soundstage:

The only area that the IE 80 really manage to set themselves apart from many other dynamic driver in-ears is their very large, very open, three-dimensional soundstage.
It expands greatly into all dimensions and presents a large sphere of music that my Shure SE215m+SPE (whose stage is pretty wide, but without much spacial depth to speak of, and ultimately not as wide as the Sennheisers’) don’t have (which also applies to the ER2XR and also somewhat to my Starfield when compared to the IE 80s’ soundstage size).

While this is something that makes the IE 80 nice and rather special, the imaging precision isn’t very high at all, and similarly to the resolution, the soundstage struggles to keep up and collapses the more complex and the faster the music gets.




Conclusion:

The Sennheiser IE 80 are in-ears that only sound nice when used with slow, undemanding, sparsely occupied recordings wherefore they are predestined for slow acoustic singer-songwriter stuff that really suits them and where they sounds nice, effortless, open, spacious, pleasantly warm as well as full, and where their fairly low technical performance in relation to the price isn’t brought to the limits. Therefore, they are clearly not all-rounders but niche in-ears with a large soundstage that perform well on slow recordings but almost fail with everything else as their drivers’ limits are reached very early.

Dear fellow music lovers,
the IE80 have been around a while and, despite several reviews and an almost infinite thread, still it is not easy to gather in a single place all the information concerning this beautiful IEM.
Despite the earphone being probably at the end of its lifecycle, I will write this review anyway, hoping that somebody will provide a similar review for the new IE80S.

After few month of listening, here come my impressions.

Package:
- the fundamentals are here: several tips.
- ear hooks
- fluff: useless carry-case

Build:
- OK. Detachable cable probably ensure a beyond average life expectancy (for me IEM average life expectancy is 2 years)

Cable:
- bundled cable is ok, angled connector
- currently using it with 5 eur chinese cable with a 3 button Android and IOS compatible remote

Confort
- no rough edges, pretty comfortable for me

Fit over the ear
- a bit tricky, as the overall sound is very sensitive to insertion depth and tips positioning
- no cable microphonics
- once in place does not pops out. Few adjustments every now and then may be necessary
- ear hooks are not easy to use nor necessary

Fit below ear
- possible, but I don't recommend it as the bass becomes boomy
- average cable microphonics

Bang for buck
- on rebate at 140 eur at amazon is a catch (but not worth the full retail price of ~300 eur)

SOUND

Tuning
- bass via the screw
- overall tone via the tips

-Foreword
After several tests I decided which the basic configuration (i.e. bass screw to minimum, single flange silicon tips) is the one providing the bust sound quality. Therefore it is my choice for day to day listening and the descriptions below are based on this set-up.

- Sound Signature
V shaped, with powerfull bass and lively but not aggressive highs

- Bass
Extended, rolled off towards the sub bass and slightly bleeding in the mediums. They are slow (in the good sense, relaxed) accurate and powerful.

- Mediums
A bit recessed but perfectly tuned

- Highs
They provide decent detail and extension, but their tuning could be better (with the wrong recording they can become a little aggressive). Their biggest issue is that they are not linear, but they have a peak at 5kHz, one at 7kHz and one at 13kHz. The result is good detail and extension, but it is not balanced.

-Speed
Slow bass and a lot of echoes to open the soundstage result in a relaxed and slow IEM

-Detail retrieval and instrument separation
Good across the spectrum. More than enough for orchestral music

- Polyvalence
Very good for classical music and jazz. Very natural voice reproduction.
Only average for hard rock and metal.
Fair to good for other genres.

-Forgiveness
The peaky highs and detail retrieval makes this a rather unforgiving IEM

-Source requirements
IE80 are very hiss forgiving
They are very easy to drive, resulting in good sound on almost every source.
That said, a better source can result in audibly better quality. But with any source they are already good.

Perks
- adjustable bass
- can be tuned via eartips

Mods
- tuning via bass screw: this increases mostly the sub bass, with a lesser impact on the bass. The peaks in the highs are also somewhat tamed.
Overall I don't like the result, as the mids seems to be more and more out of tune, as the bass in increased via the screw.

- tuning via the tips: the IE80 progressively go from bass-heavy and V-shaped to neutral as the tips are changed in this sense : foam tips, single-flange silicon tips, double-flange silicon tips, weird triple flange silicon tips.
I don't like the result for the same reason as before, i.e. the mids seems to be more and more out of tune as the tuning becomes more different from the out of the box one (bass screw to minimum, single flange silicon tips)

- the well known tape mod : https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...-the-sennheiser-ie80-in-ear-earphones.766831/
Similar results and same issues as above

- conclusion: what these tuning have in common is bring some neutrality in the sound signature of the IE80, at the price of making a 200+ eur IEM sound like a 100 eur IEM. Not worth it in my opinion.


Compared to the other IEMs I have tried:

- Sennheiser CX275S : these one have a fun oriented signature: slightly v-shaped, voice oriented mids, not very extended but very fast bass, smooth and pleasant treble. These works best for fast-paced bad recorded music. For a 30 eur IEM they sound very good. Detail resolving and instrument separation is very bad; for this reason also is a very forgiving IEM. Anything which is well recorded will sound way better on IE80, except metal, which really does not like this IEM and which, on the contrary, sound very fun on this CX275

- Sony MH1C: the mids are about as good as the IE80's; lows are faster and with stronger sub bass, but less detailed; highs are a real mess on these. If accuracy and instrument separation is not required at the extremes of the spectrum, these sound 80% as good as IE80's (still they have a smaller soundstage)

- Beoplay H3 : radically different sound signature as these are almost flat. Lows are good, albeit a lot more recessed, highs are less extended (cut at 16kHz) but more linear; as a result these have less air but are less aggressive on some instruments, which may ultimately result more pleasant on the H3 (e.g. brass, acoustic guitars etc..). The mids of the H3 are definitely inferior: less resolving, somewhat out of tune, they make really a mess of a classic orchestra

- Sony mdr 1a : these ones are at least as good everywhere, and better resolving in the mids-high and the highs. Also they are one of Sony's high impedance top headphones.

Hello, to start off this review I would like to tell you that I am giving away by Brand new IE80s FREE so if you would like to enter for it just simply like this post & comment and I will PM you. 
 
I Personally own one of these IEMs and I tested them for few months with my Fiio x1 & Oppo ha 2 SE. Here are the results
 
COMFORT
 
lets start with the bad part about this IEM because there isn't much. Everything about this IEM is great but comfort can be an issue when using tips included with the IEMs. Alot of tips are included but they are all uncomfortable in my Opinion. My suggestion is to Use Comply foams or Spinfit. OR any other 3rd party tips you find comfortable
 
ISOLATION
 
its there but its much better isolating with the Foams tips than silicon tips for obvious reasons. With the foam tip I would give 9/10 for sound Isolation, if you find the RIGHT fit. 
 
SOUND
 
Now lets get into the good part and what most of you will read anyways. Sound is incredible. (period) Sound stage, separation, imaging... its all there 
 
LOW END
 
Exceptionally great because you can adjust it. You put these things full tilt and you head may blow up. So whether you are a bass head or not, you can adjust it to your liking. The bass is tight & punchy But lacks that sub feeling you would get from Shure 846. With all that being said, trust be when I say the bass in these will blow your mind away.
 
MIDS
 
Now Sennheiser is known for the great mids in many headphones and they do not disappoint in these IE80s. With that being said, they are not MIDDDDD ranged like HD650s. I feel like an idiot comparing these to full sized headphones but the mid range can be that good on certain songs. 
 
HIGHS
 
These are not Bright IEMs in anyway, the high are there but in distant because of the large soundstage. They are not ear piecing but detailed. Sometimes, if you concentrate you hear things in this frequency region you've never head before. 
 
BUILD
 
They are built almost like a tank. They are made of aluminum shells with a dynamic driver inside. If I had the choice of taking a High end High priced IEM on a Hike or something, it would be these. 
The cable... oh the cable.... they are sennheiser cables terminating in a 90 degree 3.5mm jack... and.... it doesn't tangle like CRAZY but not the best....you can always get new 3rd part ones. 
 
 
 
 
I will keep this review short as EVERYONE pretty much know or heard how great these are. Any question?  
 
Visit our site for more extended review of the IE80 !
 
Review provided by soulsikreviews.com
 
Video for reference

I can come back to them at any time! Just great sound for not bad price those days. Stage is nice, separation have quality deep bass that I love

 
I believe the true experience of an audiophile starts from IE80. It was my fortune that I got it as a gift even when i didn't know what a sound standard could be. I waited surfed a lot of iems (5 or more). I looked for dedicated player or dac to play though it. Finally I had time to write about it.

Still though I am not brave or I didn't hear enough to say something about the 320$ earphone.
 
Please keep in mind that sound and music is a personal taste. It varies from men to men. If anything goes wrong, I request give me a chance to make it correct. 
 
 
Packaging:
 

 
After getting the TTPOD T1e and OSTRY I had an expectation to get a lot as it contains a huge price tag. Alas! there is only a sexy carrying case, 8 rubber and 2 foam pairs to be precise. Of those three pairs are double flange tips. The foam tips are softer comfy but I personally don't like foam. Preferences may vary though. With stock tips isolation was good. But with third party (jvc spiral dot) the isolation and comfort it gains <4.5/5> .
The over the ear style is a trouble to wear them quickly but it’s professional. and one thing, perfect fit is an issue that won't allow you to get 100% outta them. so it is a must.
 
 

Comfort:

The housing is on a bigger side of iem than the average IEM size. I somehow don't like over the ear iem for their hassle to put it in ears. But it provide a certain comfort to continue listening for hours.
 
Build quality:

The built quality of these IEMs is very good. though some cheaper iem may provide u with metal/titanium alloy housing instead with ie80 senn focused on their audio dept. but cable, its strain relief is good; really good. A brushed metallic pattern gives it a classy look.The cables themselves feel very strong and sturdy. The 3.5mm pin area is well fortified. And trust me the detachable cable option always help to get updated one or get a new one if it breaks.
The place where the tips are attached , is covered by a metallic mesh, which is pretty much standard in all IEMs.
 
 

 
Case:
 

 
A sexxy hard plastic case with a metallic finish. I think it will offer some protection against dust and water. An ear tip cleaning tool, which will be used to remove the dirt from the housing and ear tips and doubles as a driver screw for the bass knob on the housing.
 
 
Sound: When the mystic signature appears
 
When u insert them into your ear first thing that u will notice is soundstage. Its damn big as an iem. surprisingly u may look here and there to find that audio source. It shows a huge specious area inside Brain.
 
Bass:
This is an all rounder iem with a bass dial. so u think bass is crazy? yes at the highest pick bass will be bond cracking but full bodied. it never blot with a lot of amount rather its well controlled. in normal situation (medium bass position) u will feel sub bass surprisingly amiable.
 
Mid:
Mid portion is clean. Lady vocal sounds as good as they should sound. vocal is clearly articulated from its place. Not emphasized, not recessed. its mid kinda on bright side but damn I love its loving mid. There may some people who can find it a bit recessed. But for me its okey.
 
Treble:
Lets say about Treble which is amazing, with no sibilance even at the highest volume. This is an awesome thing, because you get to enjoy they cymbals and clangs better with absolute detailed sig. Here is one thing. people often think high treble is cleanliness but its not as it is.
 
Its only 12 ohm with a lot of sensitivity. You can drive them even with a calculator. but with dap or dedicated amp the sound stage insanely increases which only can be achieved by a full sized open back can. Though its easy to drive, clarity is maintained even at the highest volumes.
Instrument separation is well expected. And it ticks its price point expectation..
 
Isolation:
 
 

With jvc spiral dots i will mark 4.9/5 for the isolation it provides. As i am in Dhaka the chaotic environment always here to stick with us. With 60% gain on my phone all ambient noise stopped.
 
Conclusion:
 
These earphone introduced me with the audiophile society, How fine sound could be and so on….
Should i say anyone to buy it!
I will say its a big investment. Hear first if possible because sound is subjective issue.

This review is for someone looking for a good pair of in-ear headphones after using over-ear phones; that's the situation where I am coming from at least, as I have been using Sennheiser's HD598 for some years now.
 
I can appreciate the professionalism and expertise that is apparent in the IE80, The sound quality is great and there is a lot of detail and clarity to be heard in the music.
The bass is not too overwhelming at least when adjusting the bass dial to the lower end, and that's how I like it. The treble/high end is not too bright or tiresome. However, HD598 has a more elegant overall sound, it's somehow cleaner and with a wider soundstage. This is of course due to the difference in the basic nature of these two kinds of earphones. Using an over-ear phone like HD598, no part of the headphone touches the ear itself, the sound comes to the ear canal from a small distance. With in-ear phones, the situation is of course different. The earbuds touch the ear canals and produce the sound right there. For me, that reduces the comfort somewhat and makes the sound more "metallic" (in lack of a better term), and less "ethereal". This is of course a general issue with in-ear vs over-ear phones (for me), not a shortcoming of IE80 in particular. 
 
What is a particular problem for me with IE80, however, that it is difficult to find the ideal positioning in the ear. I have found that if I wear them like supposed to (with the cord over the ear), they don't stay deep enough inside but come a bit out, and consequently a lot of the bass/lower end is lost. I have noticed that if I let the cords hang freely, and not behind the ears, they touch the ear canals in a way that the bass is heard ok, but at the same time the wearing comfort is diminished somewhat, and the cords, protruding from the ears, so to speak, might look a bit funny. 
 
I purchased the IE80 to have a pair that I can walk/jog/exercise with, something that HD598 is very clumsy for. The above-mentioned issues, a lot of which have to do with in-ear phones in general. have anyway made me consider purchasing on-ear phones, and not in-ear ones, for exercise etc. This is a personal preference and doesn't have anything to do with any possible shortcomings of IE80 per se - like I said in the beginning, they are of great quality and have few, maybe no faults, but probably in-ear phones are just not for me. 

*Disclaimer - This is my first review on Head-Fi so please go easy on me.
 
The Sennheiser IE80 is the first set of high-end audio gear above 300$. I bought them second hand from an online store. My impressions will be different than most as I was able to pick these up for around 110$. I have owned these IEMs for around 7 months. I used them for listening to FLACs on my computer and Spotify Premium on my Nexus 6, occasionally with a digizoid zo2.
 
Build:
 
The IEMs feel pretty solid. The IE80s are built entirely out of plastic and feel like they can take a beating. The IE80s will scratch and scuff if handled poorly but the only thing that has suffered substantial damage was the cable. Speaking of the cable, it is horrendous. The cable is a very thing, very firm and feels poor. Luckily the cable is replaceable and many replacements can be found on amazon and eBay. The cable that I used to replace my cable is here.
 
 http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Four-core-twisted-silver-Upgrade/dp/B00MTB7678?ie=UTF8&keywords=sennheiser%20ie80&qid=1461658640&ref_=sr_1_12&sr=8-12
 
The tips that the IE80s came with are also sub par. Many of the silicon and foam tips that Sennheiser provided are either uncomfortable or just don't fit. I since swapped the eartips with comply foam tips linked here.
 
http://www.amazon.com/ZNARI-Earbud-Foam-Tips-Medium/dp/B015K33ZYE?ie=UTF8&keywords=znari&qid=1461658786&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2
 
Overall, the accessories are very bad; however, the overall build of the IE80s are pretty solid and many would be satisfied with the IEMs.
 
Comfort:
 
I don't personally enjoy using IEMs for prolonged periods of time as they always end up irritating my ear canal. I definitely prefer Over Ear headphones but nothing beats the IEM for portability, My main purpose for these are my commutes to and from school and sometimes 1-2 hour breaks in my day. With the original accessories, my ears would start to hurt after 45 minutes but witht he new cable and ear tips I can go for around 3 hours without discomfort. These are the most comfortable IEMs I've used but in my opinion, they don't match the comfort of Over Ears.
 
Sound:
 
As said by literally every other reviewer on Head-Fi, Sound is the most important aspect of a headphone or IEM. This is all my personal opinion and my own impressions. To me the IE80s sound like classically Sennheiser. I listen to other IEMs and Headphones on a daily basis and these sound as if there is a blanket on my music. When listening to "You're Gonna Go Far Kid" by the Offspring, the band sounds as if there is a partition between you and the music. I haven't listened extensively to the HD600 or HD650 but from what I heard, it sounds similar to the Sennheiser veil where the highs are rolled off and recessed. Aside from this the sound is pretty nice.
 
While the Highs lack sparkle and excitement, the rest of the signature is pretty nice. Coming from many consumer headphones and IEMs these are the most pleasant set of IEMs I have listened to. Bass is extended low and is very well represented. As a person born in 1995, I listen to a lot of music like Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Hardwell and many more. Tracks with a lot of bass sound freaking killer. I always find myself dancing to the music or nodding my head and tapping my foot. If you look for bass, these will not dissapoint.
 
Mids in the IE80s are not super forward but they are not recessed either. The best way I can describe the Mids is that the Mids are like the awkward person at a party in the corner. They are there but the attention is never on them. Voices are pleasant and sound great coming from an IEM with a V sound signature. Anyone coming from the M50x or other V shaped headphones will find the voices to be full and pleasant. If you're a Mid head like Quinn Nelson, then look somewhere else. I'd like to reiterate that the mids are not supper recessed but they will not shine above the rest of the track.
 
Soundstage on the IE80s is above average for IEMs. you can definitely hear like a 6 inch room around your head. When listening to orchestral tracks from Walt Ribeiro, I can tell where the instrumental sections are but I can't distinct the individual instruments. If you want a wide spacious environment, I have no idea what you are doing looking into IEMs in the first place but the IE80s have the widest soundstage in an IEM that I have heard.
 
Conclusion:
 
Overall the IE80s are a good pair of IEMs for the budding audiophile. The veiled highs and blanket over the sound make them very pleasant for someone who isn't accustomed to a flat signature. Switching between my LCD-X and IE80s, I can definitely hear the difference; however, the LCD-X cost close to 4x the amount. I am very pleased with the IE80s and I haven't had the desire to purchase a new high-end IEMs yet. Maybe in the future I may sell these to buy something like the Shure SE535 or the Earwerkz Supra. I will note don't buy these for full price. Amazon sells them for <300$. Thank you for reading my review and please be nice, it's my first review

I just saved up money and purchased my first pair of Audiophile class anything. I've done my homework and on nothing but the regular laptop output using Foobar and listening to Santana's Samba pa Ti..... I'm Crying!
 
I've never experienced this kind of....immersion in sounds before. I've been listening to this song all my life... but this is the first time I've felt the music. The only worthy pair of cans I own that can be used as a comparison are my DT770 pros (32 ohm), but this.... This is a whole new world.
 
I've never been brought to tears over the overwhelming quality of music before. And this pair of IE80s did just that.
 
Is THIS why you audiophiles spend so much money on good equipment? xD WOW

Design/durability: very good build quality as (almost) always on behalf of Sennheiser. The earpiece with its brushed metal faceplate is very good looking and has a sturdy 'unibody' feel to it. Finish is not plasticky and seems durable. The slightly thick cable feels good too, pretty stiff, doesn't tangle, microphonics are pretty low. The proprietary two-pin connector of the detachable cable feels very sturdy as opposed to most MMCX connectors used nowadays on the IEM market. And also, the bass dial is fairly unique and fun to play with. Update: the connector/pins are causing occasional channel imbalance. Not as reliable as I though it would be.
 
Fit/comfort: the IE 80 is a 'semi' in-ear that doesn't sit deep in the ear canal. Comfort is thus pretty good and slightly better than other conventional in-ears. These Senns can be worn around the ear (which I do) or straight down by simply switching the left and right earpieces. Very handy. Stock tips aren't great in terms of comfort though, I'd recommend that you find some others (I'm using B&W silicon tips).
 
Isolation: as expected, not a 100% in ear, thus definitely below average compared to competition. Maybe 16-20dB noise isolation with stock silicon tips, which is enough for daily commute, but nothing more. Westone, Shure, Etymotic designs all isolate way better, no surprise here. On par with my HD-25 with velour pads. I wouldn't use these on a plane. Isolation seekers, look elsewhere!
 
Sound: the IE 80 is one of these few 'audiophile' IEM that can impress the casual listener almost instantly. They sound fun, lively, and wide. 
 
The bass is the highlight of these earphones, they are big and beautiful. There is a very distinct hump in the mid bass, whether the bass knob is at its maximum or minimum. I usually set it on 1-2 which I think is appropriate for most genres. Bass impact is pretty good and punchy, however not as punchy as with armature designs, although the body of the bass is much better and natural sounding than on the latter. It is meaty and there's an impressive rumble. And the bass extends pretty low. I'd describe the IE 80's bass as a big piece of steak with tons of sauce: not very healthy but oh, so good from time to time.
 
Mids are definitely not the IE 80's main asset. They're smooth and refined but a tad recessed compared to the rest of the spectrum, and I found them to be slightly veiled on some complex tracks where vocals play an important role (some Hans Zimmer sound track and Enya songs). Fine but not great.
 
Highs can be sibilant at times depending on tips, but are overall very well extended and pretty smooth. There's no real sparkle, just a nice shimmer that is more than adequate on most tracks. The most demanding strings tracks were no difficulty for the IE 80.
 
Now the soundstage of these is really good for an in-ear design. It extends a few feet outside of your head and has a very airy and organic feel to it. Instrument separation is fine. I found the wide soundstage particularly convenient for orchestral works, it really makes them stand out. Resolution is great, but as expected it can be slightly inferior to some of the competition's balanced armature designs. Still, the level of detail is pretty astonishing. And last but not least, the big advantage of the dynamic driver here is that it sounds less 'mechanical' and cold than its BA counterparts. The result is a more organic and musical presentation of music, which is definitely pleasant.
 
Bottom line: I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the IE 80 can sound. They're musical, warm and airy, comfortable, and perfect for casual listening. A good travel companion for my ER-4PT.
 
 
 
 

Introduction:
 
The Sennheiser IE80. I would like to start with stating that I am not an audiophile. However, for the past years I have had my fair share of headphones/earphones and I have been involved with the audio world for some time now. Also, this is my first real review so please take it easy if I'm not as descriptive or accurate as other members on Head-Fi. My primary source when listening to the IE80 is the combination of my MacBook Pro (320kbps to 2600kbps audio files) and my Fiio E10K Olympus 2 DAC/AMP. I will be covering topics such as accessories, build quality and the comfortability of these earphones. I will not go in depth about the sound quality because I have yet to feel experienced enough to share my opinions. Not just on these headphones specifically but audio in general, there are in fact actual audiophiles and professionals on this forum, go to them for sound quality, they know what they're talking about.

---

 
Sennheiser includes a lot of accessories with the IE80 and I enjoy that. The IE80 come with not only silicon eartips but also Comply Foam and double/triple flanged eartips. Sennheiser also generously included a very nice carrying case, a cleaning tool and a good clothing clip. Here's a list of all the accessories.
 
The carrying case as mentioned, is very nice. The top and bottom is crafted of aluminum and the rest is made of high quality plastic. The bottom has 4 rubber feet to stay off of the different surfaces you'll be resting it on. The case closes magnetically and on the inside, is a fitted molding to place the headphones in. The earphones are very well protected. Unfortunately, there is nothing to do with the wire besides wrapping it around a certain portion of the case, this causes memory in the wire for when you want to use them. The case also allows you to carry two different eartips and the cleaning tool with you. Onto the dry salt packet, there is a door latch on the back and inside is where you can place a dry salt packet. A dry salt packet will absorb any moisture within the case, in other words it controls the humidity. This will keep the headphones well protected if you are either storing them for longer periods of time or are in a humid environment.
 

---

 
The build quality of the headphones is also quite good. The housing is made of a high quality plastic but they do house an aluminum insert, this insert faces outwards when in your ear. On the aluminum insert of both earbuds, is a laser etching of the Sennheiser logo, along with the bass dial. The cable as I had mentioned earlier, can have memory at times. When I first got the IE80, the cable memory was very bad, the earphones would often fall out of my ears because the cable would fall over the top of my ears. With some time and use, this went away but after storing them in the carrying case (or even winding them up), there is memory for about an hour. 
 

---

I find these earphones very comfortable. Like most high end earphones or in-ear monitors, they feature the 'over and under' cable design. The way you wear these is to have the cable come from behind your ears, and essentially, inserting the earbud upside down. I highly recommend using the cable choke, as it helps keep the wire behind your ear and makes the experience much more comfortable. With the right eartips and the correct fit, these are EXTREMELY comfortable. I am able to wear these for hours if need be. I also wear these to the gym, they have a very solid fit and don't move around one bit. And I don't even use the included cable sleeves.
 

---

My opinion is that these are excellent earphones. If your a fan of the infamous Sennheiser signature sound then these are all for you. Now that I have broken mine in, they sound good on just my computer, my computer and my dac/amp and even just on my smartphone streaming Pandora One. They take some time to sound excellent but be patient -- it's worth it. As far as the full retail price, I have noticed they are random sales on Amazon for the IE80, I believe they have gotten all the way down to $260, thats a really really good price point for these so if you ever see that sale and are even just interested -- grab them, you can always return them lol.
 
Since I had forgotten to mention (my apologies), the tunable bass port doesn't quite do justice for me. To my ears, it only gives the mid-bass a slight boost. It doesn't provide a drastic enough difference considering this earphone is advertised so much for having this feature. Also, isolation is quite good as well. You cannot hear much at moderate volumes so if your loud listener, you won't be able to hear a thing. I would have included this into the review but without a sound quality section, it wouldn't have made sense anywhere else.
 
I hope my first written review has helped or informed some people, I'd love to receive some feedback from fellow Head-Fi'ers through the private messages. Thanks!

So, I've had the chance to try the pair my uncle owns, both in noisy (busy streets of Vienna) and silent environment.
 
You probably should take this with a grain of salt as I can only compare this to my good old HiFiMAN HE-400i, which is basically a totally different world. 
 
Let's get to it, shall we. 
 
Thoughts about the device overall: It looks pretty nice, has a good little bass controller, however i've found the bass good enough on the lowest setting too, the cable is very good in my opinion, it's very lightweight so it doesn't pull you down and it's thin! > easy to hide, However what i've found the most disturbing out of anything, and don't get me wrong, this is quite important!, it just slips out of my ears no matter how i put them in or with which ear cup, and this sadly makes the bass go away, and the treble to take over and occasionally destroy your ears.
 
Sound quality: After using an ortho headphone for a good time now, i've found it's sound very interesting and very different in a lot of ways, not all of them being good. The two main difference for my ears is that when listening, I couldn't differentiate quite as much the overall levels of the music, the different layers, and also i couldn't therefore hear the smallest details, which in my opinion are one of the if not the most important things in music. For the good part, I really really liked when there was a melody playing in the treble and the bass, that fine strong bass that this IE can produce, came to it and they pounded my ears at the same time, it was very satisfying and cathartic. Though it hasn't happened quite as often as I would've liked it to, as I've had to keep pushing it in sometimes even twice in a track to avoid ear-bleeding treble. One more thing i've noticed in a few tracks, is that the quieter sound layers sometimes tried to merge into a louder one, they started to copy the main melody and change it's sound more similar to it, so that the main melody didn't change but the quiet one started to sound more like the main one, even if the quieter was just a one sound rhythm. Never experienced such a thing.
 
Overall, if you are someone whose ears are capable of receiving IE's, and you like bass (seriously it has huge bass even on the lowest setting!!!), and you are not that kind of person (like me) that is listening to music just to hear those finest quietest details, then go for this, seriously it's amazing and a lot of fun to listen to!

I wanted to go up to a high grade of earphone so I looked on head-fi and saw the IE 80s and purchased them from amazon.

    Fresh out of the box they were amazing and some of the best canal-phones I have heard. They felt solid and well-built and the case they come with was very sleek and closes with a satisfying shhhhclick*

 

Firstly the bad,

    Unfortunately that didn't continue as one of the ear hooks fell off and was lost after a week. They are not secured on very tight and pull off with ease. A few weeks after that the silicone tips split and were unusable and the final nail in the coffin for these earphones was that the right ear cable split and stopped working.

Admittedly I have used them continuously for 5 months but i really expected better from a high end top brand of earphones.

 

The ear hooks are quite comfortable and keep some strain off of the cable however they are removable and can be removed. In some ways this is nice as you can wear them as a normal pair of earphones however, the microphonics increase dramatically as expected. I had a little trouble making them fit my ears as they have a core of stiff wire which wouldn't bend easier than my ear. This also meant when I finally made them fit they fitted perfectly, comfortably and were secured brilliantly. Unfortunately they do separate and they don't fit snug up to the body of the earphone so they do little to protect the wire itself form strain unlike the ue900s ear hook which covers the whole piece. As I previously mentioned they also come off very easily so I lost one of them early on.

 

The cables

They were nice to begin with but, without the hooks I found they tugged and pulled at my ears and thus were uncomfortable and irritating to wear over ear. They are the standard Senheiser cables as seen in the IE 8 and IE 60.  Personally I feel that the cables would be of a little higher quality and that they are a major limiting factor of these earphones. Inside the cable appears to be made of copper and the jack I’m unsure of what it’s made from however I know it’s not gold plated (I don’t know if it makes a difference truly) the plastic joins around the IEMs themselves have no strain relief which is my suspicion of why they failed so early on.

 

The box

Oh my, the box (although seen to be paired with their other cheaper earphones) is the best I've seen mainly because the brushed aluminium plates look amazing but the sound, feel and click of the magnetic mechanism inside was smooth and could be compared as the mechanical keyboards of cases. The metal plates are easily dented and this effects the aesthetics of the case but had no effect on the performance of the case or the smoothness of closing the box.

   Inside the box there is a small space for both earphones to be placed with no tips or the tips they give you. This meant when I had to replace the ear tips I had to disregard the box completely as the comply TX500 tips wouldn't fit in the box without ripping the tips or taking them off which was very impractical. I found wrapping the cable in this box difficult to do as the 3.5 mm jack would usually stick out just a little too far to fit neatly.

 

The ear tips

they are very good as they give you a large selection of them allowing them to fit many people’s ears. The isolation of the tips were very good and the ones that fitted were comfortable, especially for listening over long journeys such as the train. The foam tips provided were not very comfortable and I found them to irritate the inside of my ears when taking them in and out over time so I quickly disregarded them.

 

The sound.

These earphones although as short lived as they were, sounded amazing, they sound similar to my Logitech speakers (aka my preferred sound) with a little more bass.

They most certainly have a large bass hump. From my ears the mids and highs sounded crisp and clear but not too emphasized nor too little. The bass is something definitely to experience if you are a bass head its deep and pounding especially if (as with all earphones) you get them in just right.

 
I gave these a 3/5 purely because of the sound quality and the box they came in. unfortunately the value of these earphones I felt was low because of the faults in the quality and production.
The gear I have been using to test these earphones is the ak100 with a range of different qualities of music. Some of the best I found was dust clears –clean bandit, flight –Tristam. & Braken, This is our time -miles Malone and Grab her! – Disclosure 

IE80 - High End Earphones
I think there's a point to where you draw the line for a Price Point, this goes over that boundary and breaks the rules of it's price, which is unfortunate.
 
I feel something in this asking price needs to meet some standards, Comfort, Unique Sound, & Build Flexibility.
And I feel these don't cut it, the need to be charged within the $175-$220 range.
 
This will be a descriptive review!
 
Sound Overview:
From what I've gathered, I think these are good! But the Soundstage is completely overdone for an IEM.
I think this range needs to be for accuracy, not how wide we can get the stage, and where will the instruments connect.
 
Highs, Mids, & Lows don't connect. What do I mean?
Usually in Headphones, IEMs, & Earbuds in this price have a sound that usually blends.
I'd argue that this is Sennheisers quality and House Sound, sure. But it's wider than most of what I've experienced from their products.
 
Highs, Cymbals are a really important part of most Sennheiser gear. They always bring you a pushed Acoustic Atmosphere, and that's because they do it right, want proof? Orpheus.
The whole Drum Kit mangles the highs, with clangs all over... these are the perfect Jazz IEM. Rides fall apart with crispness, I've never heard such an In-Depth Shimmer of a cymbal crash.
Sibilance really isn't a thing, while other tracking monitors for this price almost carry too much Sibilance. 
Making these precisely good for Detail Freaks!
 
A full body is carried into these, with Foam Tips, the detail will master your expectations and turn them into something you might love.
Bass is careful, it not a thing that is pushed into these and you shouldn't expect a ton without foam tips.
 
 
All said and done. Detail Freaks with a burning for IEMs will love these, and Bassheads can enjoy the fun as well with some Foam Tips, all in all I want to rate this for it's price, unfair, sure? But I want to give this a solid 8/10

My head gear background in short: CX-870, Cowon i10, ATH-M50, HD-650 (HK 3490), IE 80

I got the IE 80 few days ago after coming back to my old CX-870 (after a pleasurable winter of using my ATH-M50 as my on the move head gear) and noticing that their bass is, though strong enough, muddy and boomy beyond enjoyment as my standards seem to have heightened quite a bit.

This review is very much incomplete since it'll take a few months to come to a conclusion of some kind, but I'll mention a few things I hope I'd read before purchase.

First of all I didn't think much of burn-in before, though I knew from previous experience with the ATH-M50 that there could be a clear, but probably not dramatic, difference in sound after some time of use. I also didn't come across anything saying otherwise: "needs burn-in", "100 hours" etc, but nothing that would prepare me for the first listen.

The first listen was an absolute horror! Even after trying every kind of music, EQs etc. the sound was the worst I think I've heard ever. And in a strange way so that some aspects seemed great: strong bass, some instruments and highs sounded very nice. But the overal picture was painfully harsh, ugly, cold and clinical. Vocals were drowned by everything else completely. Highs were articulate and clear but harsh to the point that it hurt my ears. Everything in the middle was just lost. Not a happy moment after spending 290€ on something praised in every review.

I had to stop listening since it felt physically bad. I had some strange tinnitus-like murmuring for a moment after listening and began thinking if they're broken or if I could sell them or something. Then I decided to start burning them in to see if it would make a difference. 6 hours of shuffled songs played slightly louder than I'd listen to, on the shelf. Afterwards, a night and day difference. All the really horrific aspects were completely gone. I was using my i10 and 18 was the highest volume setting I could use at first. Bumped up to 25ish after initial burn in (normally 30-33 with CX-870 or ATH-M50). A suprising effect, at least for me. Is all this entirely common? Should be written in the manual.

Now after three days, with approx. 15-20 hours of burn-in and actual use the proper characteristics are starting to emerge. Now they pretty much sound like the the reviews imply (fantastic), though still slightly lacking the fun, immersive or fully balanced quality I'm hoping for. The way I'd put it is that they don't quite "sing" yet. Of course my audio source is below the IEMs in quality also and I noticed that an EQ I'd previously used a lot was for now out of the question.

At the moment I'm quite happy with them, hoping for slight improvement in the IEMs with time as well as expecting my listening to develop as their precision is on a completely different level from what I'm used to. It takes a while to get used to your most beloved music sounding different from before.

I'll continue this review after some time and more thorough experience with the IEMs...

Hello Headfiers. I know there are a ton of reviews of these bad boys already , but I want to share my opinion as well on the site. Before purchasing them I have read a lot of reviews but my opinion about these differs in some ways than what most people say so I would like to have some responses to my review. (enlighten me please xD)
Overview:

The IE80's are beautifully packaged and presented. you can feel the quality of the product before you even open the package. Inside the box there are the headphones themselves , a carrying case thay feels premium but even without using it I managed to break it . A lot of useless ear tips ,and paperwork. Package feels premium , headphones feel premium , nicely done Sennheizer :3

Sound:
First of all the most Important thing about an IEM it's its sound quality. And the IE80's do not disappoint , even though their sound is not for me . Let me explain. These are prosumer  grade headphones not audiophile grade, and they tend to lack a little bit on the mid section and are more bass heavy. Am not saying that these are bass enthusiast IEM's , but they have a bassy sound signature and I would prefer a little more focus on the mids. Maybe its just me and my preferences. Starting from the bottom the bass is strong and present , it's the main focus of the sound signature and its skull rocking. Its fast , punchy not blurring the track , and its not muddy. The mids on the other hand are the IE80's weak point. They are lacking and not present enough for my liking , because they don't seem detailed enough for an expensive IEM of this price range.Finally the highs are more present than the mids of course , detailed but not in any way overwhelming, I would say that they are the kind of headphones with the "V" shaped frequency response graph but slightly more added bass. the bass is more extended than the treble and the mids being their flaw in my opinion are a little shy. Finally the strongest point of these is their sound-stage. My god the sound-stage is wide open especially for an IEM. They are open enough to match my Phillips Uptown sound-stage wise. They do not feel like any other IEM I have used before and all that because of that openness that they offer. I literally was watching a movie and I heard something outside and turned around , only to find that it came from my IEM's. That experience was awesome and its a huge thumps up for me. Also the adjustable tuning bass is meh. Yes it does affect the bass response but its minor and even turning it to the lowest bass level , I still found the bass to be more of my liking. But turning the bass up doesn't affect the mids which is nice.
Cable:
The cable is removable which is expected in this price range , its not that easily tangled , nothing special , don't know if its worth an upgrade because of their lack of detail. I have't got any problems with it yet but am extra careful with it.
Isolation-Ear Tips-Comfort:

Let me be clear about the included ear tips. In my experience they are unusable . I personally don't find a perfect seal with included tips in any IEM I buy so even though I tried to use the included ones, I couldn't bare use them over 10-15 minutes. Also I would like to note , because many headfiers buy from comply foam tips , the ones that are supposed to work with these don't really seem to work and I have to push hard on my ears to get a nice fit so yeah... Comfort and Isolation are the thing that you have to find alone in IEM's because everyones ears are different and perfect ear tips don't exist.
Build Quality- Design:

Their Build quality is quite nice they are very lightweight despite being crafted with aluminum. They also look really great and are stylish , not really a major pro but something to be mentioned xD.
Conclusion:
So my conclusion on these is that I would recommend them for people who tend to enjoy good bassy sound , but don't really care about their accuracy or extreme detail but just a quality fun to listen sound. My current setup is the LG G3 as a source , the Digit Zoid Zo2 for amping and these for the IEM. So far I am enjoying it but I really want to move to a more detailed pair of IEM's.
 
Ps. Yes they do benefit from amping but in my opinion not worth the money , because of their lack of mids and detail. Amping just makes the bass more forward and punchy. Also to test these I used only flac files. Also I forgot to mention burn-in , YES definitely they need some hour of burn-in. The mids get a little more alive not much though it just benefits a little on the detail.

At first, I was somewhat annoyed by the sound quality which seemed mediocre, even to my untrained ears.
I knew that, to an extent, this was because I was using the wrong tips and therefore began to try out different tips.
 
I found that the COMPLY Foam Tips worked very well with these, and provided the best sound isolation of all the tips I had tried.
And by the second day of using these IEMs with the COMPLY tips, I had grown to love them!
 
Once you get the right tips attached, and after you've burned in the IE 80s for a while  (although this may be purely psychological), the sound quality becomes excellent.
I've always been using headphones, but these IEMs provide such good quality music & soundstage that I'm not really missing my headphones.
 
Furthermore, these earbuds look quite stylish with the aluminum finish + laser printed logo. I've also been able to wear these to sleep (they are a lot less bulky than they initially seem to be).
 
Turning the bass dial, I was initially unable to detect a difference. But I found that when testing with bass heavy songs, the difference becomes apparent. To my untrained ears it almost seems like the sound doesn't change much, but I can "feel" more of my music because of the increased vibration when i turn the dial. It's a nice feeling & i like it (which is why I have the bass set to max).
 
I'm an avid listener of many different genres: jazz, classical, pop, rock, dance & hip-hop. The IE80 has performed admirably in all of these genres, and so I am pleased.
 
All in all, a good value for my money, and I will be enjoying these for a long time to come.

Package:

Nice looking but not really so convenient hard case with tight space for the cable. Most of the tips are useless; There are no mid-size foam tips (that most people use); just large and small foam and silicon tips are in all three sizes, but others are really useless (odd shape, no isolation or extremely uncomfortable). I found ear hooks to be useless as well and not so gentle on the cable since the critical point of breaking, where the cable connects to an earphone, is loose. There is also a nice cleaning tool with a screw on the other side that is used to adjust bass.



Build:

Just great! Looks great and feels good, and they seem to be very durable, the first earphones that lasted me over a year (and still lasting). Cable didn't look so good to me at first but it is very durable. When it's cold outside, it stiffens up so you can't fold the cables over the ear nicely, but in just a few minutes, it becomes softer thanks to your skin temperature. Cables are also replaceable, which is great!



Sound:

When I've read reviews about IE80, I expected them to be REALLY bassy, but they are fine. When everyone was saying for bassheads I thought they would have that deep sub-bass ''feeling'', but it's not exactly like that. They have a good amount of sub-bass and punch, but there is a lot of mid-bass (~100-200 Hz, can't exactly tell). Mid-bass is the main problem, and the reason why I didn't rate them higher than four stars. It veils the whole mid-range, which makes them much less clear earphones than they could be (tho clarity is on decent level); Some songs, especially vocal jazz (female vocals with somewhat deeper voices), just sound bad because of that, it's really not enjoyable with so much mid-bass 'veil' or how should I call it.
Isolation is not as bad as I expected when I've read reviews here but not the best as well. Foam tips can improve isolation, but it increases further that problem with mid-bass so I didn't find them to be a good solution.
IE80 has adjustable bass, just like the IE8, you can increase the bass with the small screw that is also used as a cleaning tool, but it is useless in my opinion. On minimum it has too much mid-bass, and if you increase the bass it will become impossible to listen to some genres (forget about vocal jazz, harp, rock with a lot of bass guitar, anything with the bass guitar for that matter if you turn the knob to increase the bass). I've read here about the 'tape mod' where you put the tape on the knobs that let the air in and mid-bass problem should be solved - well wasn't exactly solved but it did help a bit, reduces bass overall which leads to clearer sound and then foam tips are much saner choice than before.
I liked the highs; there is that sparkle, and they sound fun to me, maybe not so realistic all the time, but they are not too harsh or sibilant.




Summary:

Overall good sounding IEM with great build quality and not so useful accessories with one problem that can be a deal-breaker for many - mid-bass that veils mids, making them sound less clear and not so enjoyable to listen on certain songs. If you like that kind of sound and don't mind it, then it is a very good choice (after all they were top range Sennheiser at the time, can't be that bad, but if you are sensitive to it and listen to vocal music (especially with a deep voice) you might want to skip these. Price was too high at 450$ (would be 3.5 stars), but now at 300-350$, it's a pretty fair deal comparing to the competition in this price range.

I love these little beasts. I pair them with my goto player the Colorfly C3 (Hidden Gem) -
 
If you have a good source track these little  iem's shine - the sound is pristine and crystal clear - They have a lovely wide soundstage way out of proportion to their size; The Bass is a little weak but the high and mids shine. The only downsides to this are poor isolation (fixed by swapping for better buds) and the weak bass - but even turning the adjustable side bass boost dials just muddies the presentation a little. Then again I'm not really into tracks with too heavy a low frequency range preferring brighter sounds - I can wear these all day long and not even notice them - thoroughly recommended especially if you swap out the stock cables for custom wire which can gain you at least a 10% improvement in audio quality
 
 If paired with my Fiio X5 and a 192/444 classical album they sound stunning 

Anyone aspiring to be an audiophile would have heard the name of these IEMs, they are one of the very best around and only a few are in the same league as this one.
The IE80 was released a few years ago, following the IE8 which was for a long time, the best that Sennheiser had to offer in this regard. Lets cut the introduction short.
This review is not an Audiophile perspective. Its just my experience after one years usage. While it may not give you side by side comparisons with rival products, it will give you an idea of what the IE80 truly is.

Short version of review:
------------------------
If I had to tell you about the IE80 in one line, then I would say, you will not be disappointed by these IEMs no matter what. Sound quality and build quality are top notch. Bass and mids are fixed from the IE8, which was the main complaint of certain users. Sound stage is excellent. Metallic finish is awesome. No complaints in any department. It retails at an MSRP of INR 29,990. But I got this from my dealer for around 19k, though I was seriously willing to pay an extra 5-6k just for getting it on time. My dealer convinced me to wait and it took a couple of weeks which was kind of a letdown. So do some research depending on your priorities for the money before you pull the trigger.
http://shop.sennheiserindia.com/ie-80.html 
 
 
Long version of review:
------------------------
Ear tips:
---------
The IE80 comes with several ear tips, 8 rubber and 2 foam pairs to be precise. Of those three pairs are double flange tips, which are great in the gym and other activities which involve movement and external noise. The foam tips are softer than what you get from most third party sellers, but they also reproduce the sound much more true to the fidelity of the recording itself. Individual preferences may vary though. There is no medium size foam tip, usually small, medium and large are the three standard sizes which are offered. But the small one is somewhat larger than the small rubber tips, so it fits me fine. The large one is the right size though. The foam tips are good for home use, where you won't be sweating and you can clean your ears before usage. The rubber ones are awesome. The dual flange tips give great isolation, albeit not like the foam tips, but they are pretty close. They offer much better grip inside the ears, and its hard to yank them off even no matter how hard your training routine may push you. This is very good when you are in the gym or other places. The regular rubber tips are very soft, and very comfortable. They also produce very high fidelity sound. The details are better than the foam tips, and dual flange tips. Another two pairs of tips were included, in which one is somewhere between medium and small, and the other one is large. These are pretty much useless, and its safe to discard them. They are very thick, and uncomfortable. I cannot see anyone using these tips under any circumstances.
----------------
Comfort of tips:
----------------
As for comfort, I would say that the default rubber tips are the best for every occasion. This is because they are very thin, and it almost feels like they don't exist. Unlike foam tips, which make you feel somewhat congested after extended use, the default rubber tips just blend in. Listening for hours on the go feels natural, and the audio detail is the best I have heard. Now you will read a lot of recommendations for hybrid tips, and what not from the people on the internet. Don't believe them, its a load of bull crap. I have personally used Sony Hybrids, and Comply Foams, and they just don't cut it. They lack the detail which is there in the default tips. Some of them just end up muddying the audio with a little extra bass. Stick to the default rubber tips if you wish the best quality audio. The foam tips provided come second, as they provide excellent attenuation of external sound and can take the shape of your ear. The dual flange tips are awesome too. I have never tried triple flange tips though.
---------------------------
Comfort of the IEM housing:
---------------------------
The wearing comfort of these IEMs can vary. That's because the housing is a little bigger than the average IEM size. One good thing is that they are over the ear design, which is great. Even the newly launched IE800 isn't over the ear, so its less secure than these IEMs when it comes to outdoor activities. The large housing size means that they aren't pillow friendly. But its not that big a deal. I can easily fit them inside my bike helmet and ride comfortably and without adjusting them from time to time. The traffic sound is so much lesser, which means I can ride while listening to quality music.
--------------
Micro-phonics:
--------------
Micro-phonics is an important factor of IEMs and I am pleased to say that its very much controlled in these IEMs. So much so that I barely hear the sound of the wind while travelling at about a 60kmph on the bike with the IE80s in the helmet. Going above 100 though, it becomes a little audible because of the wind on the helmet, which means you just have to crank the volume up a little. Please note that the IEM itself is enclosed in the helmet, or else you won't be able to hear much over 60kmph because of the housing which has to cut the air. As if that weren't enough to take care of the interference, Sennheiser have been kind enough to include a clip which attaches the IEM to your shirt or clothing. This reduces the interference caused by the cables even more, not to mention the added support for external activities. You will never be bothered by accidental touches of the cable while listening to that crucial part of your favorite song
--------------
Build quality:
--------------
The built quality of these IEMs is just fantastic. The IE 80's certainly stand out when it comes to looks. A brushed metallic finish to the outside housing gives it a classy look. The cables themselves feel very strong and sturdy. Much different than the ones from the CX series from Sennheiser. The 3.5mm pin area is well fortified, so its going to last pretty long. If that weren't enough, you can change the cables as and when you feel the need to. I have not tried this though, so no comment on this area. The place where the tips attach, is covered by a metallic mesh, which is pretty much standard in all IEMs, but I wish even the tips had these covers like the IE800 tips.
-----
Case:
-----
The case provided, is much the same case as the rest of the IE series, nothing special here. Just a hard plastic case with a metallic finish. The case has a two pairs of tips. So when you open the package right away, you will notice few tips missing, which will be hidden in the case. This provision is great, because you can change tips on the go as per the situation, if you keep your case with you. It also has a ear tip cleaning tool, with which you can remove the dirt from the housing and ear tips. This tool can also serve as the screw for the bass knob on the housing, about which I will talk later. There is another small compartment to the back side which has a small silica gel pouch to get rid of any moisture from within the case. It has a magnet in the bottom as its opening & closing mechanism. The only gripe I had with it is that its a little big to fit comfortably in your jeans pocket. You'd have to put it in your bag or your side pocket if you have one.
--------------
Sound quality:
--------------
As for audio quality, this IEM has a very large sound stage. It feels like a huge place inside your ears. No matter what kind of music I listen to, its very easy to be awed by the sound they produce. The bass and mids are perfect. Bass is pretty tight and the mids are lush with plenty of warmth. Treble is amazing, with no sibilance even at the highest volume. This is an awesome thing, because you get to enjoy they cymbals and clangs better with absolute detail. Many IEMs especially BA driver IEMs are better in this regard, but they produce sibilance, which can be quite a spoil sport. With the IE80, you can't go wrong. Play anything with it and you are guaranteed to be happy with it. These IEMs are only 16 OHMs and it doesn't take a lot to drive it. A dedicated amp would add little to no benefit over the source. You can easily drive it with your mobile phone and MP3 player. I have no complains with the Sansa Clip Zip, which is a perfect companion for the gym. The volume levels are pretty high for an IEM, and clarity is maintained even at the highest volumes. Instrument separation is good too. Pleas note that this is just the starting point in the audiophile territory, its bigger brothers HD800 & HD650 can do much better when paired with an amp. This is just a portable solution for audiophiles who don't want to lose much while travelling or at the gym.
-----------
Bass knobs:
-----------
There are bass knobs on each of the earpieces which can be adjusted using the earpiece cleaning tool provided in the case. Note that its best to leave them at the lowest level, which is the factory setting of these IEMs because they produce natural sound close to original. Increasing it will change the bass response. It can be useful if you are getting different volume levels of bass in each of the earpieces due to the fitting provided by the ear tips. No two ears are alike and the difference can be quite a bit. Another scenario where this can be useful is when the source itself is giving out unbalanced sound. The last case is when your IEM itself is losing balance, then you can correct it to some degree using this knob. Anyways, as I said before, its best to keep it at the lowest setting.
----------
Isolation:
----------
The isolation provided is pretty decent. The housing is well sealed, and the cables have a good resistance to micro-phonics. So there is not much to complain about. But people who are used to other brands may be dissatisfied, as they may be used to the fit and isolation provided by other IEMs. Its not a deal breaker though. You can always replace the tips any time you want. Sony's hybrid tips will give you the best balance between comfort, isolation and sound quality. Comply is not for everyone. Firstly I dislike the the foams which get all oily after a few months of usage. They also give you this congested feel if the foam is too thick. If its too thin, then the bass and isolation suffers. Well I can go, but to say the least, Sennheiser's package which includes 10 pairs of ear tips will satisfy most of the buyers of the IEM.
------------------------------------
Durability (cables, housing & case):
------------------------------------
The cables are awesome. They tangle much lesser than the cheaper models, and are much more durable. The rubber is made from a much more durable compound, and there has been no degradation after extended use. Usually, cables can harden or crack over the course of a year, and extended usage under all elements. But these cables can take anything you throw at them. They are even much better than even the Kevlar cables used in the CX680/685 etc sport editions. 
The housing itself looks pretty much the same like it used to when it was new. Its very solid even after so many drops and bumps. The brownish paint has now become all shiny and polished, with a little of it beginning to fade away. The metallic part has a lot of small scratches, but none of them are substantial enough to be an eye sore. Overall, from a distance of a couple of feet, you can't say its much different from a new one at all.
The case itself is very durable with a very solid plastic construction, but the same cannot be said about the metallic plates to the outside. Once they take a beating it becomes a dent and looks distorted. But apart from this minor problem, the case is pretty much nuke proof, and will keep your IE80s safe no matter what you throw at them.
------------------
Under rough usage:
------------------
After using it for a year without the case, and in sweaty jeans pants which hardy had room along with bike keys and mobile phone not to mention the music player; going the gym for five days a week, I have to say that I am impressed. Many a times the phone/player slipped from my hands and ended up bungee jumping with my ears as a support. At times I have closed the zip to my jacket without realizing that the player was still hooked to the IE80. After a good inspection, I can confirm that there are no major cuts or damage to the cables anywhere. There is no other IEM which has shown little to no change in these conditions. I used to ride in the rains of Mumbai every day with the headphone inside the helmet. The rains here last for about 4 months. These IEMs have lasted 2 monsoons, which is an amazing feat. The levels of humidity and stress which these IEMs have undergone are much more than my other IEMs because these are my primary IEMs. A couple of months ago, I felt a slight change in one of the channels, and it keeps varying between 1-4% difference in balance. Some times the imbalance was to the right and sometimes to the right. I guess something went wrong with the cables. So I got them to Sennheiser Service center, who promptly replaced them for me. I have no idea how they might perform under the cold climates, as I have only taken it to cold places once and I believe 0 degrees Celsius is by no means a difficult thing for the IE80. But in the heat and humidity department it has managed to exceed my expectations. As per my usage, the average time an IEM lasts is usually a couple of months, before something goes wrong big time. But they completed a year without a problem, and even the issue which arose after usage was probably because of cable failure as it is expected under these conditions.
In one line, THESE IEMs ARE TOUGH, and they are built to last a lifetime if used correctly.
------------------------------
Sennheiser Warranty & Service:
------------------------------
Please make sure to keep your bill safe. Even a soft copy will do. So its advisable to take a snapshot of the bill and save it on your computer just in case. On producing the bill, I was given a replacement for the IE80 in a week. This can vary depending on the stocks with them. I remember I had to wait 3-4 weeks for the CX550. Other ones like the CX180 will be replaced in a day or so. If you're really lucky, you might get an upgrade instead of a replacement. Damage caused by accidents are not covered under the warranty, but I guess it all depends on how you explain it to them. The main problem which can come on rough usage is the change in the balance of the sound where the right ear piece volume doesn't match the left. They never make a fuss about replacing the product unlike other companies which try their best to avoid a replacement with a stupid explanation. Anyways, it has always been a pleasure dealing with Sennheiser. They offered me tea when I was waiting with them. Good luck to you too.
-----------------
Value for money:
-----------------
Are they worth the price? Hell yeah they are. You can use them to your hearts content, plus you are also covered with a guarantee. Awesome sound quality under extreme conditions and good build quality etc, etc, so many good things going for one IEM. How can I say it ain't worth the price? Even if I used it for about 2 years only, the average comes to about 800 Rupees per month, or about $14 a month, which isn't much considering everything that Sennheiser offers, not to mention the tea they give me every time I visit the service center. I would gladly pay a little extra, that is how satisfied I am. All of this would be pointless if the sound quality could not back it up, but its on par with the best you can get in this range. Go for it by all means, you will not be disappointed. When you pay about 20k for a IEM, you expect a lot in return, and the IE80 delivers it in spades.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a final note, I would like to say that, Sennheiser is more than a brand, it makes you love the music you listen to. #Respect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I count myself really lucky. I was convinced that these phones were too treble-ey and didn't have good bass. I tried some after market foam pads and the bass just came pouring out of them. This led me to experiment further and found that the black foam pads that came with them gave a very neutral, but full sound. I am very glad that I didn't write a review before because it would have been unfair. 
I used the IE80's to compare a Meridian Explorer DAC to a AK120 DAP and I must say the differences between these high quality sources was immediately apparent. You can hear very deeply into the recording with both. Great IEM's. 
Before I got these sorted out I was fitted for the UE Reference Monitors. If I'd had this kind of sound out of the box I might not have bothered. Although I'm still very curious about and looking forward to the customs.